The Cherry MX Switch is arguably one of the most important mechanical keyboard switches of all time. Some might argue that it is one of them preferably mechanical switches at all. No other Switch has a comparable legacy. It’s been around for decades and is one of the few switches that covers the entire range of keyboards. You’ll find it in everything from point-of-sale systems, office cubicles and police cars to gaming setups and even high-end, limited-edition custom keyboards.
Until recently, almost every mechanical gaming keyboard came with MX Reds, Browns or Blues. For a long time, Cherry’s switches were the best option – mechanical or not – for building a keyboard, and they were known for their superior typing feel and durability compared to their rubber dome and scissor switch contemporaries.
I love the original Cherry MX switches. They still have a personality and charm that no other switch has been able to replicate. I type on them regularly, almost every day, and always find them a pleasure despite their flaws. So it was a surprise when Cherry announced a successor, the MX2A. How could one of the most popular and long-lasting mechanical switches suddenly change so drastically? Could these changes improve the MX?
Photo: Henri Robbins
Cherry’s legacy
The Cherry MX Black is The mechanical switch. It’s a fairly heavy linear switch made entirely from Cherry’s proprietary plastic blend and has been in production since 1983 with only minimal changes to date. Cherry rates its MX switches for 100 million keypresses, and it’s not uncommon for MX Blacks to still be functional even after two decades of near-constant use. They eventually became a mark of quality: if you saw a keyboard with MX switches, you could be fairly certain that it would be both reliable and comfortable to type on.
When the custom keyboard scene began to emerge in the early 2000s, people realized something interesting: the longer you used MX switches, the smoother they became when typing. This was true for everyone, but most notably for the MX Blacks. Most commonly found in heavily used office and cash register systems, they had a heavier spring that required more force to depress, causing severe wear on the plastics.
These “vintage” MX Blacks – which had to be unsoldered from older keyboards – were popular with enthusiasts for their smoothness, and their scarcity only increased demand. At the time, Vintage MX Blacks were the best possible switches for a custom keyboard kit.
It’s worth noting that these worn switches are pretty scratchy by today’s standards. Modern switches, made from high-quality materials and lubricated at the factory, are leagues ahead of MX switches when it comes to smoothness. However, these days many keyboard hobbyists feel that the MX Black has a “good” scratch compared to other switches. It’s consistent, subtle and quite charming as long as you don’t expect perfection. There are no sudden jolts or jolts, just a smooth friction that feels more “real” and satisfying than something designed to be perfectly smooth.
Photo: Henri Robbins